Renewable Electrical Energy from Wind

Brian, our business manager at the museum, keeps a monthly eagle-eye on our energy use. For some time, he had been looking into a possible move to sustainable electrical energy through a program called “Catch the Wind” at New York State Electric and Gas, our local utility.

First, we started with a trial deal, paying a small premium on our electric bill to purchase 5% of our power from wind sources. It was great to be able to say we were buying at least a little renewable energy, but then we began to think, “Why not go 100%?” The extra cost would be about 20% of our annual $25,000 electric bill.

We hoped that, because of the museum’s visibility in our community, this move to 100% renewable power might encourage others do the same thing. We signed up and were amazed with the response.

We learned that we were the first facility in our region to go to 100% wind. A lead editorial in The Ithaca Journal, our local paper, used the opportunity to push for environmental awareness and encouraged others to go follow our lead.

Hester, our public relations manager, designed a wonderful “Powered by Wind” sticker, which we have put above all our wall sockets and light switches to remind visitors and staff of our investment and to encourage them to do the same thing at home. (Yes, I did it - for US $7.50 extra per month I now get 100% wind power at home).